-Caveat Lector- Ecuadorian protesters take police officer hostage January 31, 2001 Web posted at: 4:09 PM EST (2109 GMT) QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) -- A group of Ecuadorian Indians protesting government economic policy took a police officer hostage on Wednesday, planning to free him only when an Indian leader detained on Tuesday who helped lead a coup last year is released from police custody. The officer was captured when he tried to enter Salesman University in Quito, safe haven for thousands of Indians who have traveled to Quito from the countryside to protest government economic policy, claiming to be a journalist. "So long as our compatriots are well-treated, he will be as well," Marcos Salte, an Indian leader in charge of security at the university, told reporters. The capture followed Tuesday's detention of Antonio Vargas, an Indian leader who led an uprising last year that toppled president Jamil Mahuad, along with union leader Luis Villacis, who led several marches against government policy this month. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to determine whether they will be freed. Thousands of Indians from across Ecuador have arrived in Quito since Friday to protest government mandated price increases, backed by the International Monetary Fund, which boosted municipal bus fares by 75 percent and gasoline by 25 percent in December. Police estimated that 3,000 Indians are camping out in Salesian University, while the school set the count at 6,000. But Ecuador's military high command said two weeks ago it would crack down on protests and any attempts to destabilize the government after university students used petrol bombs and dynamite against police in demonstrations against the economic measures earlier this month. Government officials are seeking to protect political stability just one year after an Indian and military uprising overthrew president Mahuad, catapulting then-vice president Gustavo Noboa into power. University students took to the streets on Wednesday to show their support for the Indian movement, with some marching semi-nude to protest the strong-hand with which military and police have repressed popular marches. Several Indian and student protesters were injured on Tuesday when they tried to lead a march toward Arbolito Park, a common place for popular protest just a few blocks from Ecuador's Congress, as police fired tear gas to contain them inside the university campus. Confining the Indians to university grounds is a breach of the constitution, according to Gustavo Larrea, regional director of the Latin American Association for Human Rights. "I think there's an abuse on the part of the Interior Ministry, because they could easily give them a permit so they can express their demands," he told Reuters. Indian road blockades continued north and south of Quito on Wednesday, making car and bus transportation virtually impossible and triggering a scarcity of basic goods such as potatoes, grains and fruit in the capital and the nation's most populous city and commercial center, Guayaquil. According to Fernando Navarro, president of Quito's Chamber of Commerce, the country loses $20 million every day the highways are closed. Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian association of mayors, chambers of commerce and Congress have urged the government to engage in a dialogue with the Indian groups, with all three entities offering to act as mediator. Interior Minister Juan Manrique said he would be eager to talk with the mayors' association, whom he considers "legitimate representatives" of the people's concerns and interests. The majority of Indians in Salesian University are asking the government to lower bus fares and cooking gas prices to ease their economic burden, as just 25 percent of Ecuadorians capable and eager to work hold a full-time job. Several Indian leaders have also said they seek a return to the former national currency, the sucre, after the government adopted the U.S. dollar in April and a reduction in foreign debt payments. Copyright 2001 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Back to the top © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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